Reunion
by breadmakesyoufat
Summary: Takes place after 1.09 but before 1.10. Cole and Cassie reuniting after the events of Operation Troy. My take on how it could have gone.


_I wrote this last week but didn't publish it because it was going to be longer, but got swallowed up by my other 12 Monkeys stories immediately...haha. But since watching tonight's episode, and being upset with how their reunion went (although I totally get it), I figured I'd polish this a little and post it._

* * *

Year 2015. 3 months since the bombing.

Cole splintered back in the alley behind the bookstore, his spine screaming in pain and his hands shaking from the aftershocks. No one had seen him, thankfully, but once he looked over at the bookstore and saw that a light was on in the back room, his hands shook for an entirely different reason.

"Cassie…" he whispered as he looked at the back of the shop, nerves taking hold of his stomach and squeezing.

It was only a few days ago that he watched her die in his arms, in 2017. He took a shaky breath, remembering how she felt in his arms as she struggled to breathe. The look in her eyes when she realized she was going to die in that moment. The white streak in her hair that he would have poked fun at under better circumstances, but secretly really liked. How her skin felt when he found himself stroking her cheek. The feel of her skin on his lips as he kissed her forehead, saying goodbye.

Cole clenched his fists, starting towards the front entrance of the shop. If she was in there, he needed to knock at the front of the store, to avoid scaring her. As he came around the front of the building, he saw her car parked outside, and his heart leap into his throat.

"Cassie" he found himself whispering again, almost running up the front steps, quickly using his particular knock on the door, the one they agreed he would use to let her know it was him, and no one else. After he'd finished, there was immediately the sound of something smashing. Cole knocked again, more insistent this time.

"Cass! Are you okay? It's me, open up!" His voice cracked, but he didn't care. He just needed to see her. Needed to see that she was alive. A shadow fell over the door as someone approached, the deadbolt clunking before the door slowly opened a crack.

It was Cassie. His Cassie. Alive, healthy. She was looking at him like she'd seen a ghost, her wide eyes glossed over with tears as she peeked out at him, opening the door more once she saw it was him. Cole could feel himself smiling like an idiot, but couldn't care less. She was here! He had seen her die, and future her had said he would see her again, but after feeling the life leave her body…

"Cole…?" she whispered, her eyes somehow growing wider than they already were, her first tears falling when she blinked a few times. She was reaching out to him, and he noticed her hand was shaking, and he finally put the pieces together.

Last time he'd seen her, she had died. But the last time she'd seen him, or rather, talked to him…

Suddenly she was all around him, clinging to him desperately. She'd knocked the wind out of him, but Cole quickly recovered and pulled her in closer, wrapping both arms around her back and sinking into her shoulder. She smelled like that lavender body wash she keeps in her bathroom and let him use the first few times he stayed over before she could buy him his own soap. Her hair was down, tickling his face as he breathed her in, each breath helping to calm his tense muscles.

Cassie was shaking slightly, silent tears soaking into his shirt where her face was buried. Cole loosened his hold on her, gently rubbing her back while she cried, his heart aching seeing her so upset. She slowly pulled away after a few minutes, sniffling and looking up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Cole I don't…how are you here?" She whispered, her warm breath fanning out over his face, and making Cole realize how close they were still. A look of horror dawned on her then. "Wait, if you're here, then that means…"

"Yeah…Let's go in and sit down. I can explain everything."

Cassie nodded silently, another tear slipping from her right eye, before turning around and walking into the store, Cole closing the door behind him.

"Careful, I dropped my mug when you knocked" Cole heard her say in a small voice, following her gaze to the broken cup on the floor, tea spreading into a puddle.

"Sorry I scared you, Cass."

"You came back from the dead, Cole. I don't think there's a way you can do that, that wouldn't scare me."

Cole chuckled under his breath, following her into the study and sitting on the couch, resisting the urge to sit close enough to touch her. Cassie was wiping her eyes with her hands, trying to compose herself. Cole looked around the room, noticing that all their research was gone from the table, and the leads board was blank.

"I went to the bomb site." Cassie started, sniffling as she rubbed her eyes dry. "I had to be sure. I had to see if you were…" she trailed off, pulling her legs up to curl into herself on the couch. "But there was nothing there. No sign of you, or anything else. I thought it was over. I thought you had…disappeared." Her voice was sad, and she glanced over at him to see that he was watching her. She looked back over at the table they'd spent so many hours sitting at, mulling over the lead board and trying to figure out how to stop the 12 Monkeys. "Cole, if you're here now that means-"

"We haven't won yet. The virus is still out there."

Cassie shuddered, looking over at him again. Their eyes locked.

"Cole, tell me what happened."

* * *

It took a good hour for Cole to explain everything he'd gone through to Cassie. She sat silently for the most part, absorbing his story. He told her about splintering to 2017, and finding out the plague was here in full force. Trying to get to the US and how future Cassie knew where he was going to be and to bring him home. Cassie started at this, looking at him.

"You met me in 2017?"

"Yeah. You said I'd already told you where to find me at that time…so I guess that's what I'm doing right now."

Cassie fell silent, her gaze drifting over to the far wall. Cole watched her, taking in as much of her as he can.

"So if you met me in 2017…how did I look? Was I…"

"Sick?"

Cassie nodded. Cole sighed and looked away. "Yeah Cassie. You were sick. I was there when you…" he trailed off, not sure if he should have said it. Looking back over at her, he can see tears welling up in her eyes again, and immediately regrets what he let slip. Reaching over the gap between them, he took her hand in his, gently squeezing.

"So you were there when I…?" she whispered, looking at him with wide eyes. Cole just nodded, watching it click. Cassie's gaze fell to their hands, squeezing his hand back. It was silent for a few long minutes before she spoke again.

"I'm glad…well, I mean, I'm not glad. But because I already knew it is coming, I'm glad to know now that I won't be alone, when I…when I go."

Cole squeezed her hand again, and closed his eyes, trying not to relive her last moments in his mind, like he'd been doing for the few days he'd spent back in 2043. Seeing her die, listening to her call him James, which he's pretty sure he hasn't told her is his real name yet…

He opened his eyes again when he felt the couch shift with her movements. She was right beside him now, her hand firmly entwined in his, and her head coming down to rest on his shoulder. Cole's heart rate sped up slightly, feeling her shift again to get comfortable beside him.

"Thank you, Cole. For being there for me. I'll make sure in the future to get you picked up when you splinter to 2017."

Cole smiled and squeezed her hand, tilting his head to gently rest on top of hers.

"James."

Cassie pulled her head back up to look at him, confusion written on her features. Cole smiled at her, reaching up to brush some rebellious hair away from her face.

"My first name is James."

Cassie studied his face for a few long seconds. "James." Cole's eyes closed of their own will, his name sounding like music when she says it. "James. I like that." He opened his eyes again to see her smiling at him warmly, which made him smile in return.

Putting her head back down on his shoulder, Cassie snuggled into his side, sighing once, deeply.

"I know we need to get back to work. But for tonight, can we just…be us?"

Cole nodded, pressing his lips to the top of her head before he knew what he was doing. "Yeah, Cassie. I'd like that."


End file.
